Democracy to Judge Former Seoul Leader

Published: December 4, 1995

A once all-powerful leader of South Korea, Chun Doo Hwan, was arrested yesterday for staging the military coup that brought him to power in 1979. He is also expected to face murder charges in the massacre of pro-democracy protesters in the city of Kwangju a year later.

The trial of Mr. Chun, who was feted by President Ronald Reagan at the White House, will resonate through many countries stepping from dictatorship to democracy.